Kris Orlowski is the gravel-voiced crooner with the charming cop mustache. The Seattle-based singer sounds classically brilliant in front of mic, whether he’s on the stoop of an old apartment building holding an acoustic or under the spotlight at the Triple Door Lounge. His latest project has him singing the songs of George and Ira Gershwin, reinterpreting the music with his friend and collaborator, violinist Andrew Joslyn. We had a chance to chat with Orlowski about his new work and his upcoming residency at the Smith Tower, an idea he and the building’s only resident Petra Franklin devised, wherein Orlowski will perform 12 gigs with a different artist each time.

On “Things Are Looking Up” you present a subdued singing tone to what could be a very big and round song, what was the thinking here? 

I’m not really sure I made the conscious decision to make it more subdued, that’s just the melody and vibe I heard in my head. I tend to love the dichotomies between upbeat lyrics and more subdued instrumentation, though, and vice versa. When I heard the Gershwin tune, I was instantly attracted to the unabashed hope and whimsy of the song, and wanted to play into that with my baritone voice and the sweeping sounds of the strings. The new chorus melody popped into my head when I first sat down to write the song and this melody along with the “oohs” that make up the secondary melody are some of my favorites on this EP.  

“It Ain’t Necessarily So” has a great carnival feeling, almost like a Fiona Apple production – what were the conversations in the studio as you and Andrew put this one together? 

This is one of my favorite songs on the EP and a last minute addition, but I wanted to clarify the process during this project. I teamed up with a producer named Nathan Yaccino who I’m currently in the studio with as we speak working on the next album. 

Nate’s a mad scientist, and he knows how to make great music; he knows how to build a song up as well as play all the instruments so that’s what we did with this project. When we got together to work on a new song each session, I would come with the skeleton of the song, any new melodies I had, and the chord structures, with my vocals really dictating the vibe of the song, then he would run with it. I’d come back a few days later with those familiar feelings I feel at Christmas when I get to open a present, and listen to where Nate brought the song. We would chat about what was working, then I would sing over the track. It felt more like a Frank Sinatra session, getting to really focus on how the vocals dictate the vibe of the work, both at inception and as the final step in tracking. Joslyn is one of my favorite collaborators, so we would send him a rough mix and just tell him to do what he wanted. There is a lot of trust between us since we have been friends and collaborators for so long. With “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” you’re right, Nate is a huge fan of Fiona Apple and that sound was very intentional. Fiona is incredible, Nate and I just saw her recently at The Tractor when she came through with Sara Watkins. [Editor’s note: Orlowski is being modest, he sang with Apple on stage at The Tractor.]

What did you hope to discover about yourself through this project? What did you discover? 

I’ve been doing a lot of collaborating this year and I’m becoming more and more of a fan of the hands-off approach with folks I’ve worked with this past seven months. When you are a fan of what someone does, and you trust them, sometimes it’s fun to just tell them your vision and watch what they do. I’ve also learned how to be more patient in the songwriting process and follow my instincts, while also getting better at not getting too attached to my first or second ideas. Going with the flow is hard when you get too far down one path, but I’m getting more comfortable saying, “I spent a lot of time on that, and it’s just not working” then being okay with trying something different, accepting that it was never a waste of time, and letting go all together.  

You have a Smith Tower residency coming up – you’ll be above the entire city singing with the gray fall clouds. What excites you the most about this? 

It’s hard to pick just one thing that I’m excited about. The location is ideal. I’ve been dreaming about this for at least a year now. In October of 2013 I had a chance to play a show up there and it was magical. There is definitely something in the air up there, and Petra, the magician who lives at the top of the tower has mentioned that I can come up and write in the globe some time. Selfishly, I’m excited to be in a space that breeds creativity, and to get outside the mold of my usual stage performance. 

I’m also really excited to showcase other artists in this space, but in return it’s one of the biggest challenges for me. There are so many people that have already been e-mailing me asking if they can play up there, and it’s hard to tell people no, because I want everyone to experience this place, performers and listeners. There is so much great music out there, so the focus right now is curating a line-up with artists that are established and doing this as a career right now. I’ve done a lot in the past with developing artists, and for this particular series I want to switch things up. Stay tuned! 

Who are your non-musical inspirations these days?  

I maintain a great respect for the author Paulo Coelho. I love how much he pours his heart out into his books, there is a lot of personal discovery in his stories and it always leads me to write and to want to explore my own life further. Besides Coelho, a lot of my inspiration seems to be coming out of the Northwest. 

Anika Lehde, one of the cofounders of Yesler & Projectline, has been someone who has inspired me a lot over the years. She really leads by example. The way she has co-led the culture at my old company with brilliant cofounders David Jones and Mike Kichline is amazing — just how important community and activism has been there and in her personal life (especially animal activism) has definitely influenced me. She turned me on to this book by Brene Brown called Daring Greatly that opened my eyes to vulnerability. 

Bill Gates is another guy that I’ve started to fondly follow. Have you been to his site GatesNotes? He has this site where he talks about current issues in the world, his favorite books. He’s so interesting and a modern-day hero in my mind. 

My mom and dad are also really inspiring. My mom has the activist bones in her body and is the most selfless, caring person I’ve witnessed. My dad was one of the people that got me started in music and his love for life, his entrepreneurial spirit and very strategic mind is inspiring. 

What’s the next challenge you’d like to take on? 

I think the challenge continues to be balance as well as continuing to make it as a full-time artist. Project-wise, the main focus musically is around my next album and this Smith Tower series, but I have two other collaborations I’m kicking off next month. 

I think one of the biggest challenges with the Smith Tower series is delivering on the idea of 12 unique, creative shows at the tower over the next 12 months. I have a small back catalog, but to put on 12 shows, playing different music each time – that’s going to stretch me. But I’ve already got the first half of the year planned out.   

In terms of this full-length album, attempting to create an album that is both authentic and interesting, then releasing it in a climate where music is a blip on the radar – here today, gone tomorrow. Some days it feels like more of a battle, but things seem to be looking up right now. 

To see more of Orlowski, check out his live session on KEXP here: